Storm-shield for vehicles.



PATENTED MAR. 27, 1906.

M. HULL. STORM SHIELD FOR VEHICLES.

' APILIUAIION FILED SEPT-8.1906.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

rd zrs' Nd. 816,013. PATENTED MAR. 2731906..

, M. R. HULL.

STORM SHIELD FOR VEHICLES.

' APPLICATION 1-11.31) same, 1905.

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MATTHEW- R. HULL, or OONNERSVILLE, INDIANA, ASSIGNOR TO THE REX BUGGYooMPANY, or ooNNERsvILLE, INDIANA, A CORPORA- TION INDIANA.

- STORM-SHIELD FOB VEHICLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 27, 1906.

i Application filed September 8,1905. Serial.No. 2'77,603.

To all whom it may concern! Be it known that I, MATTHEW R. HULL, a

citizen of the United States, residing at Contion.

nersville, in the county of Fayette and State of Indiana, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Storm-Shields for Vehicles, ofwhich the following is a specifica- This invention relates toattachmentsfor vehicles havin tops, and theobject is to provide aclosure %or the front and sides of the top for the purpose of protectingthe occupants against wind, snow, rain, and dust, to retain the heat ofthe body of the occu ant in cold weathenbut which can be read y openedon either side or in front for urposes of ventilation and these openings0 anged at will to suit the circumstances of travel with relation to thedirectionof the wind.

The invention is an improvement on Patent No. 756,021, issued to meMarch29, 1904;

and it consists in certain novel features of construction, as will behereinafter shown inner side of the latter.

I vehic e-body and foldable top with my invention applied, the viewbeing into the vehicle from the rear',so as to show the inner sides ofthe shield. Fig. 2 is a detail in perspective front view of the upperpart of a vehicle-top with my invention attached. Fig. 3 is a verticalsection of my shield looking toward the i Fig. .4 1s a horizontalsection on the line 4 4 of Fig. 3 on a somewhat larger scale, the viewbeing in the direction of the'a'rrows'in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is averticalsection on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3, showing in addition the frontend of the bed and at This improved device may be applied to any of themany styles of folding-top buggies or. carriages. It is here shown onapianobox body 10, having the'dash 11, seat 12, and 1 a foldable top 13having the bows 1 4.

The front portion of my improved attachment consists of a marginal framepreferably formed of strong light material, such as wood or metal, witha covering toward the front of the vehicle of a material like oil-clothor leather that will be waterproof and air-tight. This frame consists ofapair of parallel bars 15 and 16, located at each side edge of the frameand separated a suitable distance to permit of the introduction ofrollers for side curtains between them. It also consists of i cross-bar18, the intermediate cross bar 19,

and the two vertical posts 20, which extend from the cross-bar 18 to theboard 17. The posts 20 are separated from each other and from the bars15 and 16, so as to divide the frame-space above the intermediate bar.19'

into three parts, the largest of which will be. in the middle and willform an opening which will be closed by means of the two sliding windows21 and 22. These windows are supportedby and are held in placeby the topand bottom rails 24. The'rails 24 are rendered adjustable by means oftheir spring-bar supports 26, as described in my said Patent No.756,021. The spaces on each side of the above middle opening are alsofor windows whiohare not movable, and which are filled with glass, asare the sliding windows 21 and 22. 1

The bars 15 and 16 are connected and covered on the outeror front of theshield by the plates 28,.preferably of metal, which have thelongitudinal half-round groove 29 to' form a recess or pocket withinwhich the rollers 30 (see Fig. 4) are mounted. The side curtains 31 areattached to the rollers 30, andv said curtains are wound upon therollers by means of a spring in the usual manner and asshown anddescribed in my said former patent. The object of thisrecessedconstruction is to pro tect the rolled-up curtains and to provide a morefinished and neater job. The curtains have the usual hooks 32, by meansof which the'curtains when drawn out will be fastened to. the verticalbow of the buggy-top.

All of the front of the storm-guard frame above described except thewindows is covered with a wind and water proof covering 33, throughwhich close under the middle windows is an opening for the lines, whichis closed by means of the flap 34.

Secured, by means of the bolts 35, to the inner sides of the verticalposts 20 are the metal straps 36, having half-circle top bends, to eachof which a standard 37 is bolted. When the shield is placed in positionon a vehicle, the posts 20 are outside in front of the dash, and thestandards 37 are inside of the dash and bed and extend down, so as torest on the bottom of the bed just in front of the toe-rail. The straps36 between the bolts which secure them to the posts 20 are bent backfrom the posts, as shown in Figs. 1 and 5, to make room for theattachment and vertical adjustment of the eye of an eyebolt 38. Thethreaded end of each eyebolt is extended through a suitable opening inthe standard 37 in front of it, and an adjustment of the standard towardthe post is secured by screwing a nut 40 in on the threaded bolt. Thisconstruction forms a clamp at each post 20, by means of which the frontmember of the storm-shield is secured at its bottom to the vehicle. Asthe depth of the vehicle-bed and the height of'the dash will vary indifferent vehicles, I provide a series of bolt-holes in verticalalinement through the upper ends of the standards 37 to permit of therequired adjustment.

The above-described device is made fast to the vehicle-top by thefollowing means: The board 17 has the metal plates 42, with curvedextensions forming caps to the grooves 29 of plates 28, and these plateshave perforated arms extending beyond the ends of the board 17. 44 is aturnbuckle having one of its bolts 45 passed through the eye in the armof plate 42. The end of this bolt has a head which keeps the bolt frombeing drawn through the arm by the buckle. The other bolt 46 from theturnbuckle has an end hook which is hooked over the pin 47 of thebrace-rod of the folding vehicle-top 13. A spreading-bar 48, havinglateral eyes, as shown in Fig. 7, to surround the bolts 45 and 46, makesa bearing against the pin 47 at one end and plate 42 at the other andenables the attachment to be drawn tight by properly rotating theturnbuckle. The threads on the ends of the bolts are made in the usualway of turnbuckle constructionto tighten when the buckle is rotated inone direction and to loosen when oppositely rotated.

Attached to the top and ends of the board 17 is the apron 50, ofsuitable flexible material, the ends of which are wider than the middle,so as to extend from the shield to the vehicle-top and overlap thevalance of said top. The rear corners of this apron are provided withthe straps 52, of leather or other strong and flexible material, bymeans of which the ends of the apron are drawn down tight over thevehicle-top and secured by buckling the strap by means of the buckle tothe front bows 14. These latter increase in thickness and widthupwardly, thereby preventing the straps from working loose.

Fig. 1 shows a letter-box 54 bolted to the standards 37 preferably bymeans of the eyebolts 38. This box is to additionally brace and stiffenthe frame of the shield, and it also provides a convenient receptaclefor the .carrying and sorting of mail when the shield is used byrural-mail-delivery men. Fig. 1 also shows a mail-bag removably securedby hook to the above-mentioned box.

In the modification shown in Fig. 8 the outside bar 15 is omitted, andthe edge of the plate 28 is folded in upon itself and the folded partbent at right angles to the face of the plate, as shown at 62 in Fig. 8.This secures the requisite strength and rigidity.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and wishto secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-

1. A storm-shield attachment for top-vehicles comprising a covered frameextending from the dash to the vehicle-top and. approximately the samewidth as the top, means for securing the lower part of the frame to thevehicle, tightening-rods having turnbuckles in their lengths forsecuring the top of the frame to the vehicle-top, a flexible apronfastened to the top of the frame and overlapping the valance of thevehicle-top and means for removably securing the apron to thevehicletop.

2. The combination with a top-vehicle of a storm-shield comprising afront frame covered to exclude rain and wind, means for securing theframe to the front of the vehiclebed, tightening-rods having turnbucklesin their lengths for securing the top of the frame at a fixed positionin front of the vehicle-top, a flexible apron fastened in a fixed mannerto the top of the frame and adapted to extend to and overlap the valanceof the vehicle-top, and straps at the corners of the apron to secure theapron to the bows of the vehicle-top.

3. The combination with a top-vehicle of a storm-shield comprising afront frame covered to exclude rain and wind, means for supporting andsecuring the lower end of the frame, spacing-bars between the top of theframe and the top of the vehicle and tightening-rods having turnbucklesin their lengths to draw the frame firmly against the spacingbars.

4. The combination with a top-vehicle of a storm-shield comprising afront frame covered to exclude rain and wind, means for supporting andsecuring the lower end of the frame, spacing-bars between the top of theframe and the top of the vehicle, ti hteningrods having turnbuckles todraw flie frame firmly against the spacing-barsand a flexible thevalance of the vehicle-top and means forv storm-shield comprising afront frame covapron secured in a fixed manner to the top of the frameand extending to and overlapping removably'securing the apron to thevehicletop. I a

5. The combination witha top-vehicle of a ered to exclude rain and wind,said frame having posts which extend below the top of and in front ofthe vehicle dash when the shield is in place, standards opposite saidposts on the inside of the vehicle bed and dash resting upon the bottomof the bed, metal straps secured to the posts and having rearwardly-benttop ends, said ends being fastened to said standards and meansfordrawingthe standards toward their respective vposts to form clamps forfastening the shield to the body of the vehicle.

6. The combination with a top-vehicle of a storm-shield comprising afront frame having a rain and wind proof cover, vertical posts forming apart of said frame adapted to be placed outside of the dash and extendbelow the top of the dash, standards restin on the bottom of thevehiclebed on the insi e of the bed at the front end of the latter,metal straps bolted to the posts having their top ends bent back incurves and fastenedto the standards and eyebolts through the eyes ofposts and flexibly connected at their upper,

ends with the standards, and a box, secured to the standards andextending back between the posts so as to make a close bracing andstrengthening-fit between the pairs of said posts and standards. 1

8. A shield having a pair of vertical posts, a pair of standards 'on theopposite side-of the dash from the posts, one standard opposite eachpost and flexibly connected above the dash with its adjacent post, a boxhaving endswhich make a close fit between the post and standard on oneside and the post and standard on the other side, means for clamping thedash between the posts'and standards and means for securing the boxinposition.

9. A frame for vehicle storm-shields having a pair of rigid parallelsupports at each side edge,'a plate of rigid material connecting eachpair of said bars said plate having an' outwardly-curved longitudinalcentral corru- 1 gation forming a recess with the bars to rece1vecurtain-rollers, and curtain-rollers with curtains attached, mounted insaid recesses.

10.. A frame for vehicle storm-shields havin av pair of rigid parallelsupports at eachsi e edge,'a plate of rigid material connecting eachpair vof bars said plate having a central longitudinal corrugationcurved toward the front of the shield, a metal cap-plate at the top ofeach corrugation and side curtains mounted on rollers, said rollersbeing mounted in the recesses formed by the parallel supports andcorrugated connecting-plates.

- Inwitness' whereof I have hereunto set my handand seal, atConnersville, Indiana, this 25th day of August, A. D. 1905.

MATTHEW R. HULL. n s.]

Witnesses OHARLEs O. H LL, JAMES M. HERON.

